Nothing Personal
by Poisoned Scarlet
Summary: ...but Soul needs to seriously control his temper and Maka needs some aspirin.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Soul Eater.

**Nothing Personal  
by. **_Poisoned Scarlet_

* * *

Nothing Black Star said should be taken seriously.

It was a silent agreement everyone had decided on during the first few visits to their home in the beginning of their friendship. Death the Kid would merely sigh quietly, Liz rolling her eyes and Patty laughing her wild laugh. Tsubaki would do her best to smile through the jargon of nonsense that spewed from Black Star's mouth to keep the tension light while Maka pressed her lips together in annoyance. Soul would idly gaze at the blue-haired boy and wonder just when he would _shut the fuck up_...

"It's so obvious, man! I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner! A god should know everything about his disciples - _especially _stuff like this!"

Nothing Black Star said should be taken seriously.

"You totally like Maka!"

It was all nonsense.

"I mean, it's always 'Maka this' and 'Maka that'! Sometimes it gets really annoying, you know? Because we all know it's all about ME! Not some hot-tempered brainiac but _ME!_"

It held no basis; nothing, nada, zilch.

"Hey, Soul, how come your face's all red? You sick or something?"

It wasn't factual.

Black Star was an ace prankster; it couldn't be true, _nothing_ he said was to be taken seriously yet this was making eerie sense. It would explain his 'allergic reactions', as he dubbed it, to Maka; why his heart picked up, why he felt clammy and nervous about messing up and looking uncool in front of her.

"Soul..? Hey! Soul! HELLOOO? Earth to Soul! _SOUL!_"

"Shut up! I'm listening!" Soul snapped, bringing himself out of his suddenly intimidating thoughts. Black Star frowned deeply, not taking well the idea of being ignored for such a prolonged period of time.

"Whatever. So, what was I saying? Oh, yeah! It's all about _me_, ya' know, 'cause one day I'll transcend the gods and _when_ that happens, my friend, oh, when _that _happens—!"

"We'll all bow down to your highness, blah, blah, blah." Soul filled in snappishly, jamming his hands into his pockets. "_We know, _Black Star."

He merely grinned. "Just making sure you remember, dude!"

"It's about to be twelve in the afternoon." Death the Kid calmly informed, squaring his shoulders and glancing around the plaza in search of a group of rowdy girls. "When did Liz say they would be back?"

"Twelve." Soul mumbled, taking a few steps back and allowing himself to rest against a wall. He slouched as Black Star hopped onto a vacant bench and searched the crowd from above; commenting loudly once in a while and causing several heads to turn and glare in annoyance.

Black Star was making unnerving sense and it was disorienting his normally straight-set of beliefs. But it made sense. It was making sense to him. Maka was his partner, his meister, and she was probably the only person in the entire world who understood him better than he understood himself. However, that _did not _mean he liked her in the sense of liking someone romantically. The passages through his very soul, pulling him out of the madness that was black blood, picking him up when he fell down – those were all things meister's and weapons did in order to assure the success of their partnership.

They were given things.

A weapon would give their life for their meister: he was no different than an object that was used and owned. The only difference: he was, in all technicality, _human_, although his genetic structure varied vastly from that of a human, meister, or witch.

And a meister would ensure the workability of their weapon but that didn't mean she liked him back. That just included caring, watching over, and training themselves as well as their weapon to their highest potential...

It was just what the name said it was: a _partnership_.

But nowhere in the partnership handbook did it say that weapons were supposed to feel overly protective, overly _fond_, of their meister nor did it say that they should have inappropriate thoughts regarding them. Nowhere in the handbook did it say that it was okay to want to hold their meister outside of battle nor have the wondering thoughts about the silk of her skin or the brightness of her smile. So it all came back to Black Star's flippant remark.

_This is... _He wearily thought, as a loud laugh drew his attention to the group of girls in the distance. Bags and other things hung from their wrists, their smiles bright on their faces the closer they came. _This is really problematic...because Black Star's probably right, for once._

Soul wasn't stupid nor was he prideful enough to deny things that particularly displeased him. Despite common thought, and his grades, he was actually quite smart. Maka was embarrassed to admit but there were instances where Soul would turn out to be the most logical and intellectual one while she came up short. His ability to separate his emotions from his priorities was something Maka was unable to do; she empathized far too much and was swayed too easily by her passionate behavior.

This was why he probably figured out he liked her sooner, far sooner, than she would, for the simple reason that he was able to distinguish his emotions from his logic and swallow his pride enough to admit it to himself. Soul eyed Black Star darkly for this revelation, turning away when the boy felt his stare and looked.

He admitted at first it was a friendship of convenience. He had synced with her soul, so what? He hadn't thought much about it at first. He had been more interested in the idea of becoming the youngest Deathscythe in DWMA history and shoving away the current Deathscythe, which was still Maka's father, Spirit, into the sidelines while he took up the spotlight.

Maka had also been obsessed with turning him into Lord Death's weapon, so there was nothing to worry about except for the fact that their living arrangements forced intimacy.

It forced friendship.

It forced a multitude of other things that blurred the goals in his mind; causing them to jumble and distort until they were only faint blemishes of what they once were. He had always been a very loyal guy, someone you could confide with and be rest assured that your secret would be safe, but his loyalty to Maka was almost baffling in its strength.

_Leaving her _was out of the question – he wouldn't leave unless she told him to, and leaving her would cause him an emotional pain he didn't even want to start to fathom.

Dying for her wasn't hard to accept – he'd do it in a heartbeat.

Picking her up when she fell was a given – he would set her straight be it with harsh words or his infamous shark-toothed grin.

And the strange part was this was these thoughts had never been meditated upon. Dying for her was instinctual; it was something he felt he _needed_ to do from the bottom of his soul. To allow Maka to be hurt was like failing as a weapon; something that was utilized to _protect _and _defend._

Picking her up when she was down seemed like the right thing to do. They were friends, weren't they?

Leaving her for another, be it to quit their partnership or pursue a relationship, was an appalling thought for him. He was content with Maka and he didn't need anyone else.

Failing Maka would be the last thing he would do before or after accomplishing their goals...

It was no wonder he figured out he liked her sooner than she did - even if Black Star helped out a little in that. But this caused a new problem. He knew her better than anyone else and it was no surprise that that he knew very well Maka wouldn't be thinking about those sort of things when she was caught up in the goal of turning him into Lord Death's Deathscythe. She still needed to train him...

"_You totally like Maka!"_

He did like Maka.

Perhaps a little _too _much.

"Soul! Look! I bought you a new jacket!" Maka exclaimed, bouncing up to him and pushing a black bag into his hands suddenly. "I felt bad about ruining your other one so I decided to buy you a new one!"

"A jacket?" Soul muttered, eying the bag warily. "It was an accident – that Kishin came out of freakin' nowhere..." His black leather jacket had gotten torn to shreds by a pair of claws during one of their missions. He supposed he had complained enough to make Maka feel bad; that girl was always taking his misfortunes too seriously. "You didn't have to do that, you know.."

"It's okay! I wanted to!" Maka smiled. He looked away quickly. There she went, dazzling him again.

"Open it! Open it!" Patty insisted excitedly from beside him. Liz happily hummed under her breath and took out a bottle of perfume she had bought cheerfully.

The jacket was heavy. It was ink black. It was his size. And, best of all, to his silent delight, it had _deep pockets! _Then, he noticed with surprise, it had been the very black jacket he had been eying for the past few weeks now. The fact that his old one got trashed only motivated him to buy it but _now_...

"Do you like it?" Maka asked, hesitantly. Soul dumped the plastic bag on the floor carelessly and inspected the jacket with a growing grin.

"Are you kidding me? This was the jacket I was gonna' buy tomorrow! Sweet! Thanks, Maka!" Soul grinned. "Now I don't have to waste my money on this!" He cheekily added.

Maka huffed. "I bought it for you because you wouldn't shut up about your old one!"

"Still doesn't change the fact that I get to keep my cash." Soul smirked, shrugging off his navy blue hoodie in exchange for the leather one. He sighed in relief, feeling somewhat like his old self again without the scrawny blue hoodie. "I feel cooler already."

Maka rolled her eyes, snatching the blue hoodie from his grasp before he dropped it somewhere and totally forgot about it.

"Maka, Soul, are you coming?" Kid's voice cut through their friendly air, both turning to find that Black Star had run off ahead, yelling like a hooligan, while Tsubaki tried to keep up, looking miserable by her partner's outrageous behavior.

"Come on! Come _on!_" Patty whined, urgently. "I'm _hungry _and sissy hasn't eaten anything since, like, morning! Right, sissy?"

"Oh, you two take your time!" Liz grinned knowingly at Soul and Maka. "We'll be fine by ourselves. C'mon, Kid, Patty, don't ruin the moment for them!" Liz threw her head back in laughter when Maka spluttered out a half-coherent response, face tinting pink with her words.

Soul only played with the zipper.

"Hey, this one's the type that doesn't jam! Cool..."

"Soul, let's go! We're getting left behind!" Maka exasperatedly said, dragging the boy along as he played with the zipper. Maka overlooked the soft smile that played on his lips because of her thoughtful gesture.

Maka might not even know about his feelings but as long as he was able to stay by her side, he found that he frankly didn't care.

* * *

It was a relief he had liked the jacket.

She could see his usually dull crimson eyes we bright in the mid-afternoon sunlight because of this surprise. The corners of his lips were turned upward, unconsciously no doubt, and she had to admit that she had chosen out the size well. It fit him loosely, enough that he would be able to continue wearing it for years to come if he took care of it, but snugly, so that it didn't look like he couldn't fill it out.

There were few differences from his old jacket and his new one. For one, the old one had lost its shine from overuse. While his other jacket had normal pockets, she had chosen this one because the pockets went down deep and she remembered his complain about shallow pockets that could barely hold anything. And, as Soul had said, the zipper was better? Maka honestly didn't know; Soul grew excited over the strangest things sometimes...

His navy blue hoodie felt warm and light in her hands.

He had resorted to wearing it for the past few days but she noticed he wasn't very happy about it. She supposed that was partial reason why she had arranged a shopping trip with the girls although she had other motives as well, such as buying a new set of boots because her old ones were in simply _horrible _condition and her skirt was starting to fit her very tight around her waist.

_I think I should cut down on the carbs, _Maka thought with a slight frown. It was bad enough she was already poked on for having zero-chest (she'd beg a differ – she grew a _little_ bigger!) and she didn't need to be poked on for being _fat _either! But that didn't change the fact that the skirt no longer fit her and she needed a new one. The new one was similar to her old one although it was a bit longer on her legs. But that suited Maka just fine; she was sick and tired of having random Kishin's flip her skirt anyway.

"Yo, Maka, what do you want?"

"What?" Maka said, snapping out of her thought.

"I said, what do you want?" Soul nodded toward the various food facilities in the food court. "I'll go get it for you while you and the rest go find a table."

"Hmm." Maka gazed uneasily at the restaurants. All the food was greasy. It wasn't as if she needed another thing for them to tease her about... Her gaze strayed to a subway stand and she pointed to it. "Get me a subway."

"A _sandwich?_" Soul asked, skeptically. "Since when do you eat sandwiches? Are you sure you don't want a slice of pizza or a burger or something?"

_Oh, that'd be wonderful. _Maka nearly drooled. But the thought of her new skirt not fitting her quickly banished these traitorous thoughts. "No, I'm sure! Just go get it, Soul! It's not like _you're _the one who's going to eat it!" She spun around quickly, marching in the direction she last saw Tsubaki head in and ignoring Soul, who frowned at her outburst.

_Damn it. _Maka thought nervously, surreptitiously adjusting her skirt on her waist. It was tight. She wouldn't eat well if the skirt was squashing her stomach. Maka also tugged on the hem, feeling the skirt was too high. But everytime she did that, it would grow tight again...

"Maka?" Tsubaki interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes, what is it, Tsubaki?" Maka asked, watching the girl dump her own things into one bag and hand her the small plastic one from a brand store. Tsubaki hadn't liked the idea of entering such an expensive store but Liz and Patty had been given a generous amount of spending money from Death the Kid and managed to convince her to go inside with them.

"Here! You're carrying Soul's jacket, right?" Tsubaki smiled kindly. "You might want to carry it in a bag. You'll be less likely to lose it if you do."

"Oh, thanks!" Maka smiled gratefully, taking it. "That's a good idea!" She always did have less of an tendency to lose things if she was holding a bag or a purse.

"No problem!"

"YAHOO! LOOK AT THESE THINGS! THEY'RE _HUGE_!" Black Star cackled madly, holding up his gigantic burger. Maka felt both sick and deprived, just staring at the grease that drizzled out of the thick slab of beef; the lettuce and tomato and everything else that made a burger somewhat healthy slathered in oil. Her skirt predicament came rushing back to her instantly and she blanched when Black Star eagerly bit into it. The distinct _crunch _accompanied by a squish of grease nearly stole her appetite.

"Yum, yum! Burgers in my tummy, tummy, tummy!" Parry sang, raising up her own downsized burger; not nearly as greasy as Black Star's but just as bad. "Yummy, yummy, YUMMY!"

"We're going to the gym after this!" Liz announced, as she chewed on some fries. "We have been eating _way _too much junk food recently."

"Yes, I believe you both have." Kid absently agreed. "But I haven't seen the intake of such ill-nutritious food hinder your fighting abilities as of yet so I have no qualms with you two eating to your hearts delight..."

"Yay, yay! Thanks, Kiddo!" Patty cheered.

"Although." Kid eyed their stomachs critically. "Patty, you might want to stop eating late night snacks – you and Liz won't be proportional if you keep eat—!"

"_Don't,_" Liz dangerously warned, "even _go_ there, Kid."

Kid stuck his nose in the air. "I was just reminding you."

"_Honestly_..." Liz snorted into her drink when Kid carefully sliced his steak and smashed potatoes into even little stacks on his plate before eating.

"Here!" Soul's voice brought Maka back from getting lost in her thoughts about her stupid skirt. He sat down across from her; the rest of her friends right beside them in their own two-person tables. Maka noticed dryly that Tsubaki would need a bigger table if Black Star kept eating like he did...

"Hey, eat your sandwich!" Soul snapped, watching her carefully as he took a drink of his soda. "I wasted good money on that!"

"Oh, shut up! I bought you a jacket – that cost way more than lunch!" Maka rolled her eyes, opening her subway to find that he had gotten her something with chicken in it. _At least chicken doesn't have a lot of fat, _she thought with relief, taking a bite out of it. But, somehow, it wasn't nearly as good as she wished it was.

Maka was determined not to stare at Black Star's mega burgers or Tsubaki's pack of fries. She was _definitely _not going to stare as Soul took a bite of his pizza, the cheese melted to a perfect—

_No! _Maka chided herself. _Remember the skirt! _She frowned into her sandwich. Was she really getting that fat? She resisted the urge to lift her shirt and check.

But since when did she even _care_?

Maka absently nibbled on her sandwich as she pondered this.

She wasn't usually so obsessive about her weight – in fact, most of her motivation wasn't to _lose_ weight but to _gain_ muscle mass, which included eating a lot more than a regular girl would. Sometimes she found herself eating just as much as Soul – only in separate portions and not all in one sitting like he often did. Yet here she was, rejecting a delicious slice of pizza or a juicy burger because she thought... she was getting _fat_?

_What the hell is the matter with me? _Maka grumbled as she took another bite and drank some water. She was still lost in her thoughts while the group laughed at the stack of fries Black Star was attempting to balance on the bridge of his nose. _I've been acting really weird these past few weeks. _And she didn't quite know why, either.

She felt more concerned over her appearance, more concerned over her weight and definitely more concerned over the size of her bust. Her friends jabs at her unfeminine appearance was beginning to honestly wear her down. She wouldn't usually let their comments get to her: she told herself that other peoples' opinions on her physical appearance shouldn't matter, only the spiritual balance between her soul and body should matter, yet it almost felt as if adolescence had somehow regressed her into a bratty, self-absorbed, superficial _little girl._

Her hand accidentally crushed her water bottle.

Soul halted mid-way from taking a bite of his pizza when he saw it.

Maka calmly pushed the crushed bottle under the bag and took another bite of her sandwich.

"...You alright, Maka?"

"Fine." Clipped tone, Soul automatically knew something was bothering her. "Hey, can you pass me a napkin?"

Soul cringed.

So _that_ had been what he had forgotten...

Maka drew in a long, calming, breath and stood up, the chair screeching back. Soul watched her concernedly. "Nevermind. I'll get one myself." She walked toward the nearest fast food facility and plucked a few napkins, wiping the corners of her mouth while she was at it.

Maka turned and took one step before she crashed into someone.

"Crap!" The boy gasped.

Maka caught the drink first and the tray with her chest, staggering forward so the food didn't totally make a mess on the floor or herself. The guy who had bumped into her grabbed her shoulders, his sneakers squeaking loudly on the tile as he tried to keep his balance.

It was almost as if the entire food court had been silenced.

Maka sighed in relief, carefully grabbing the tray from their smashed chests. The soda had split a little and some of the pasta had gone out of the plate but overall there was no major damage. She inwardly reprimanded herself; she needed to get her head out of the clouds!

"I'm sorry!" Maka apologized. "I wasn't watching where I was walking! It was my fault!" She looked at the guy and noticed he was staring at her, mouth slightly agape. She frowned a bit but dismissed his gawking as shock. "Here, your food... um..."

"Derek." He stiffly said. "My name is Derek."

"Alright, well, here's your tray." Maka awkwardly handed the tray back, unsure of why he was taking so long. She could hear Black Star's laugh at her and she scowled. He better not be laughing when she returned. "Have a nice day, Derek." Maka politely bade goodbye, side-stepping him and walking back toward the table.

She noticed Liz was biting her lip to hold back a grin and Tsubaki was smiling knowingly at Soul, who, she saw, took a vicious bite of his burger.

"_Ooh!_" Liz giggled. "Who was that Maka? Huh? You sly dog!"

"Eh?" Maka blinked, taking a seat across from Soul again. "You mean Derek?"

"You know him, Maka?" Tsubaki asked, in surprise.

"Oh, no, I don't! He just told me his name!" Maka elaborated, making Liz grin at Soul tauntingly.

"Really, now. Derek, huh? You seen him around before?" She interrogated.

"No." Maka answered blandly. "I just bumped into him right now."

"Neh, he was pretty cute..." Liz trailed off, Patty agreeing with her with a loud laugh.

Maka shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I-I guess..." Her eyes hesitantly flashed to Soul, who silently ate his meal. He seemed to be in a bad mood and Maka couldn't fathom why. Had Black Star pissed him off again? The assassin _had _been laughing mighty hard – maybe he hadn't been laughing at her, after all.

"I totally agree! I'd go out with him if he weren't so young!" Liz gushed, and everything reverted back to normal with the exception of how silent Soul had become and how confused Maka began to feel...

* * *

"In..._out_..." Maka breathed calmly, as Soul and the rest played off the calories they'd consumed with a friendly game of basketball. Maka sat away from the courts, on a patch of grass, legs crossed and eyes closed, meditating.

Professor Stein had advised meditation for improving her concentration during intense battles. So far it had only helped her in managing her, often irrational, violent outbursts.

At least she had gone from thwacking Soul on the head five times a day to three times...

She felt a presence approach her and before the person could even utter a word, Maka's eyes flashed open and she stared into surprised bright blue eyes. Her own widened in recognition and her concentration snapped. "Derek?"

He smiled. "You remembered my name!"

"Oh, yeah, well, it's a little hard to forget a person you bumped into earlier in the day." Maka awkwardly said, causing him to laugh. He had a nice laugh but Maka personally preferred Soul's laughter over his. While his was boyish and cute, Soul's was rough and sultry. "Is there something you need?"

"You just looked a little lonely over here." Derek said, shifting his weight to his other foot. "Your friends ditch you or something?"

Maka laughed at the question, making his smile widen. "Of course not! They're just playing basketball in the courts right now!"

"Really?" His eyes flashed to the courts, where the group played an intense game of basketball. "Why aren't you playing, too?"

"I just...I just don't want to!" She crossed her arms defensively.

"You sure? A good game of b-ball always makes me happy!"

"You play basketball?" Maka questioned, edgily.

"Yeah, who doesn't know how to play basketball? It's such an easy sport!" He laughed.

Maka ground her teeth. That had been a terrible blow on her pride – Dear Death, she felt like punching the ground in sheer annoyance. So she didn't know how to play basketball or any other sport aside from wrestling – was that so bad? Apparently it _was_.

"O-oh, yeah?" Maka forced out.

Derek eyed her. "You alright? You look a little... mad."

"Don't worry about it." Maka forced a laugh. He only looked more weary. Perhaps she should learn how to control the emotion in her voice – like Soul, he was very good at that. Maka sighed in defeat when Derek shifted his eyes uncomfortably to the side. "Okay, okay, I...I don't know how to play basketball..."

His brows shot up. "Seriously?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Maka retorted, shoulders slumping. "I really don't know how to play basketball. That's, um, why I'm not playing right now."

"Didn't your friends teach you?"

"They don't want to." Maka glumly admitted. "They just force me to play whenever they need an extra player. I'm like the default – I'm just there and the others usually do the playing."

"Wow, that's a bitch." Derek remarked. "Some friends you have."

Maka merely smiled. How wrong he was. She had the best set of friends she could ever ask for. "Mm... but I wouldn't trade them for anything."

Derek rubbed his neck as he summoned his courage. "So, uh, I didn't catch your name...?"

"I didn't give it to you." She replied, rather coyly. She quickly quelled it, face warming at his own saucy smirk. That felt strange; was that was Liz called flirting? "Maka." She answered with a clear of her throat. "My name is Maka Albarn! I'm a two-Star, Demon Scythe, Meister."

His eyes bulged. "D-Demon Scythe Meister? You mean you go to _Shibusen_?"

"Yep!" Her smiled faltered. "Is that... a problem?" It wasn't a secret that some of the humans in Death City didn't appreciate the gruesome work Shibusen students did on a near-daily basis.

"No! No, that's, uh, wow. That's awesome!...so, who's your weapon?" He asked, awkwardly. He hadn't thought she went to such a rough and rigorous school – she appeared quite normal to him. She was very pretty, with her bright green eyes and a subtly curved body. He almost didn't believe that she laughed in the face of danger nearly every day.

"He's—!"

"Soul Eater Evans." A sharp voice answered for her from behind. Maka looked up to see Soul staring at Derek, who automatically identified the challenge in his menacing scarlet eyes. "Deathscythe. And you are..?"

"Derek Carson." He replied evenly. He half-wished he had a cool extension to add to that. "Nice to meet you, Soul Eater Evans."

"Whatever." Soul muttered, flashing his eyes down to Maka. "Hey, what're you doing all the way over here with this jerk?"

"I'm meditating because I got bored of watching you and Black Star throw insults at one another! Then Derek spotted me and came over to keep me company." Maka explained, simply.

"You didn't bring a book with you, did you?" Soul dryly asked, ignoring the part about Derek coming keeping her company.

"... No."

He rolled his eyes, digging into his pocket. He pulled out a small pocket-sized novel; a novel Maka had been carrying around for the past day now. She had forgotten it when they left for the mall and he had wanted to bribe her with it when she remembered she forgot it but it couldn't be helped now.

This small book would make this jerk back-off from his meister because once she immersed herself in a book, _nothing _could get her out of it. He had personally tried out this challenge.

"Here." He dropped the book in her lap, surprising her. "You forgot it on the couch before we left for the mall. I thought you'd like to read it while we played basketball." Soul locked stern eyes with Derek, who understood the meaning of his words immediately.

He didn't look like he was ready to back down yet, though, and that just grated on Soul's nerves.

"Oh, thanks!" Maka smiled, flipping through the small book; happy and oblivious to the glare-contest the two boys shared. "I _knew_ I left it on the couch! I thought I forgot in a store or something..."

"So, you read, huh?" Derek conversed, tearing his eyes from Soul to glance at her. "What types of books do you like?"

"I—!"

"Romance and Historical Text." Soul answered, evenly. "Sometimes she reads Mystery and Horror but that's only during Halloween or when she's in a bad mood."

Maka slowly looked up at him "Yeah... that's - that's right."

"I asked _her,_" said Derek, coldly. "Not you."

"Too bad. Whatever you can ask her, you can ask me." Soul retorted. "She's my _partner_, after all."

"I didn't know I had to consult with _you_ first to ask her a damn question!"

"Well, now you know!" Soul spat, his eyes flashing dangerously. "So ask and get the hell away from _my_ meister!" His bared his teeth, sharp fixtures glinting ominously under the evening light.

"Soul!" Maka gasped, appalled by his behavior. "What's gotten into you? He was just asking me a few questions!"

"Maka, you can't _honestly_ believe he just wants to be your friend?" Soul disdainfully said, causing her face to pink at his tone. It made her feel rather stupid. "Because if you do, you're even more socially retarded than I thought you were."

She thinned her lips, unable to quell the hurt at his words. "Well, _sorry_ for trying to make friends, Soul Eater! You don't _have _to hold my hand for everything! I can handle this by myself, thanks!"

"Apparently not, if you don't even know what he's trying to do!"

Derek, by this time, uneasily gazed between the two.

"What _is _he trying to do then, _Soul_?" She challenged, crossing her arms.

Soul resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her stubbornness to see the reality of the situation. "You're an honors student, aren't you? _You _figure it out!"

"What I'm understanding is _you_ think _he_ wants to be more than friends with me!" Maka shouted, scowling heavily. "But I don't think so at all!"

"Well, then, how about we ask _him_, shall we?" Soul looked at the guy who dared to make a move on her; _his _meister. "Well? Are you going to spit it out or do I have to force it out of you?"

"Ahh...er..." Derek coughed into his fist, awkwardly looking away from their burning eyes. It was more than a little obvious to him that they had something going on – whether they acknowledged it or not, it was not his problem, but he didn't have the effort or time to try and charm her into liking him instead. "Hey! Look, I see my friend calling me!" He lied, pointing to the right. "I gotta' go! See you, uh, when I see you, Maka!" And he darted away, intent on never trying to date a meister; they were simply too much trouble.

"Ugh! Look what you did! You scared him away!" Maka shrieked.

"You sound like you actually _want _him to be here." Soul said, surly.

"I _do_!" Maka hissed, making his heart stop dead in his chest. "He was a _friend_, Soul, a _friend_! Do you know what a _friend _is? You make a lot of them every day – and half of them want to be _more _than friends but you don't see _me_ trying to push them away!" She heatedly continued, picking up her book from her lap and tossing it aside. "But I _don't _make friends everyday because, according to you, not only am I plain, flat-chested, and a horror, but I'm also _socially retarded_." She scathingly said, standing up. Her eyes stung. "Sorry I wasn't raised to be outgoing like you were, but you get what you see and if you can't accept that then _fine_! You can find a new meister – you get partnership letters every day! It shouldn't be a problem for YOU!" She turned on her heel and stormed away, leaving him open-mouthed and thoroughly confused by how this had gone from protecting her from creeps like Derek to his sarcastic teases of her... to suggesting they _end _their partnership?

His stomach felt hollowed out.

He felt sick.

"Soul...?" Tsubaki hesitated, the only one brave enough to walk up to him after their argument. "Is everything okay?"

Soul composed himself and answered, tonelessly: "Yeah, everything's fine." He looked at her, apathetic. "Maka and I just had a little... fight."

"I see..." Tsubaki rubbed her arm, unsure. "We didn't manage to hear much," she confessed, truthfully. They had only heard the last bit Maka had shouted, with made Liz wince and Patty crease her brows in concern. She had to smack Black Star over his head when he snickered. "But if you need any help, feel free to ask me." She offered, kindly.

"Sure."

"Well, Black Star wanted me to ask you if you want to have dinner with us." Tsubaki relayed, quickly glancing over her shoulder to see her meister spin a basketball on the tip of his finger; his eyes closed but his ears attentive to every single thing they said. "It's on us!"

"No, thanks." Soul replied. He bent down to pick up the book Maka had thrown away in her rage, slipping it into his pocket again. "I'll see you later, alright? Tell everyone it was a good game." He didn't bother to hear her reply. He left in the opposite direction Maka had stormed off to.

Tsubaki helplessly watched her friend retreat, her hands clasped to her chest.

"Tsubaki!" Black Star called, driving her attention away from the troubled Evans boy. "Let's go! Before it gets too late!" He smiled, drudging up all the humor he could in order to lighten the tense atmosphere. "I wanna' see how many burgers it takes before Kid goes broke!"

Tsubaki smiled at his attempts, sparing the path Soul had taken one last glance before jogging to her meister.

* * *

Jerk.

He was a jerk.

A total, uncool, insensitive, _jerk_!

Maka wiped a hand under her runny nose, as she sat in her usual corner at the Death City Public Library. It was late and it was scarce of people ever since their computer section went down last week due to technical difficulties. Maka was glad for the solitude.

No one would have to see her shed pathetic tears because of her ill-timed argument.

It was strange, how dangerously low his tone had gotten because of that boy. It was a menacing timber; warning, threatening, yet still managing to keep its cool. The reason for why his tone had dropped to such dangerous levels still eluded her.

"_Maka, you can't honestly believe he just wants to be your friend?"_

Then what did he want? Had she been right? Had Derek just wanted to toy with her? She tried hard to pick out any signs of interest but all she could come up with were his wide smiles...

Maka slumped in her chair when she recalled his awkward disposition when he spoke to her. It was a little strange he'd ask her so many questions... could it be she had somehow caught his eye and he had been trying to edge closer to her? And, if so, why had it caused such a fierce reaction from her weapon? It shouldn't have bothered him at all; he didn't like her. He said so himself.

Maka sighed, her ire soothed by her logic. She rested her cheek on the table, creating a spot of fog on the worn wood every time she breathed. There was only one conclusion her mind kept jumping to when she thought of how he had growled: _"...get the hell away from __my__ meister!" _

Jealousy.

She hadn't missed the emphasis on _my _and there was no other conclusion she could come to without it sounding ridiculous.

Soul was jealous and the worst (or best?) part was that there had been _nothing _to be jealous _o__f!_

Maka hadn't even the _least _bit of interested in Derek and she would have assumed Soul to know this by now. After all, he knew her better than any one else. He should know she was too devoted to her studies, too devoted to training him to be a stupendous Deathscythe, too devoted to _him _in general to actually think of _dating _some guy she met at the food court!

Her face warmed at the thought of her reasoning being right. What if he did like her? What if he had been covering up his feelings by teasing her? She groaned and buried her face in her arms.

How embarrassing; she had also yelled all of those things in public.

She dearly hoped her friends hadn't heard all _those _tumultuous insecurities...

She glumly thumbed through the pages of the book in front of her, mulling over the miserable turn of events. This would be the first time she had come to a library and she wasn't interested in any of the literature it housed; which was shocking, since she could usually wave off her troubles with a good novel...

_But Soul was jealous, _Maka insisted to herself, flicking a page with her finger. _That means he doesn't think I'm plain. Which means he likes me... which means... _Maka slumped further in her seat, biting her lip to keep a smile from forming.

She felt embarrassed but at the same time she was bursting with glee – was that even normal? What was normal for her nowadays...?

_Soul likes me! _She squealed, suddenly. _He likes me! He—but, what am I going to do about it? _She deflated and dwelled on how she would even _react _to such a big confession. She had never had a boyfriend before and she had never liked anyone before – no one except Soul, but she recently discovered those deep feelings of care for him were similar to—she shook her head of her absurd thoughts. That was crossing the line.

What could she do but wait and hope at this point? She didn't like it – she had always been an assertive type of girl – but this was uncharted territory for her. She didn't know how to navigate such fragile waters and she hoped that, somehow, Soul did, even though the idea of Soul liking, or doing private things, with another girl gave her heart burn.

She threw her book aside in a jealous fit, surprising herself by just how strongly she felt about that mere idea.

Had this been what he felt? So frustrated and angry and _possessive—_!

"Maka...?"

_Speak of the devil..._ Maka thought dryly, shifting her eyes up to look at him. He stood some feet away, obviously readying to turn heel and leave if she said so. But she didn't push him away: she lowered her eyes and buried her head in her arms again, silently giving him permission to stay.

The chair across from her scraped back and it became silent again.

"Maka?" Soul sighed when she didn't reply. "Look, I'm sorry, alright? I didn't mean that - you're not socially retarded. I was just pissed." He stared at the table as he said this. "I say things I don't mean when I'm pissed."

"I don't get it..." Maka started, her voice muffled.

Soul pressed his lips into a thin line. "You _still_ don't get it? Maka, that guy didn't want to be your friend. Not from the instant he saw you at the food court."

"Yeah...I know that."

"Then what's not to get?"

"I wasn't talking about that." Maka took a deep breath. She lifted her head up a little, raising tired emerald eyes. "I'm talking about your reaction. So what if he wanted to date me? There are lots of girls who talk to you with that same intention, you know. I don't try to break their necks every time they try, either." Although she came close to it sometimes, she inwardly admitted.

He was speechless. He didn't know what to say that, as Maka's eyes calmly bore into his own. There was something there, hidden under layers, and it twinkled with a knowing that made him swallow. This wasn't going like he had planned it would; it was heading into dangerous territory.

"You're already hurt because of your dumbass dad." The words came out without his consent. "If I had let that guy have his way with you, who knows how much more he would've hurt you."

"Okay, I'll take that." Maka nodded, nonchalant. "But it still doesn't explain your reaction. You could have easily told me after I finished talking to him that you didn't like him and I would have thought about it..." Her sharp eyes caught his own uneasy ones. "But instead you nearly killed the poor guy and yelled at me for _talking_ to him!"

He opened his mouth to retort but paused. She looked lightly amused; languid, as she sat in her chair and observed him critically. It was then that Soul was struck with the uncanny idea that perhaps that slip up in his behavior had screwed him over even worse than he believed it had.

With that in mind, Soul also leaned back in his chair and casually slipped his hands in his pockets. He replied, coolly: "Well, sorry for being worried about my meister. Next time someone talks to you, I'll keep it cool." He looked away from her surprised eyes. "No problem."

"...You sure?"

"Yep."

Now _she _looked unsure, as if she had misjudged something. "...Even if I accepted to have lunch with him?"

"Yeah—_WHAT?_" He snarled, appalled. "You spoke to him for _five minutes _and now you're going on a freakin' _date_ with him? What the hell – don't you know _anything_ about dating? That guy just wants to get in your pants – Jesus, you're so damn _dense_ – get a clue, would you? GAH!" His foot tapped with pent-up rage, as he ran both hands down his face. There was a nagging desperation to leave the confines of the library and seek out that guy - maybe threaten him with his scythe to keep his distance - !

Maka fought back a grin. She watched him slowly collect himself, breath in and out to control his rage, before she decided she _hadn't_ misinterpreted his reaction. He was jealous, and that made her happy.

"Relax, Soul, I was just kidding." Maka laughed softly, standing up as he shot her a glare. "I'm not going on a date with anyone except that new book I bought yesterday..." She trailed off, dreamily. "It's apart of a trilogy – I think I'll go buy book two now, actually." She paused. "Soul, do you have fifteen bucks I could borrow?"

Soul stared. "...What?"

"Okay, fine, it's actually _twenty_, but I think I have an extra five dollars with me..." She rummaged through the pockets stitched on her skirt and smiled when she came up with seven dollars. "Oh! Great! I can cover the tax now!"

"...Did you... just ask me if you could borrow money for a _book_?"

"You don't have any on you? It'd take a while to get home so I could get my wallet..."

"No – just – " He squeezed his eyes and took a breath. "What the hell was that all about?"

"What was what all about?" She asked, innocently.

"Maka." Soul ground out. "You don't just rile me up like that and then _leave_. That's _not_ cool."

Maka deflated. "Well, what do you _want _me to do? I already got what I wanted. And I'm not going on a date with that guy, so what are you complaining about?"

"Got what you wanted?" Soul repeated, edgily. "And just _what_ was that?"

Maka became awkward all of a sudden. "Um, well, it's not really that important... It's just something I've been wondering about, that's all."

"Which is?"

"Nothing that would interest you."

"Oh, no." Soul smiled, like poisoned honey. "I think I'd _like _to hear what you've been wondering about." He stood up, as silent and graceful as a feline, and rounded the table while his fingers brushed against the wood in an almost silent warning. She was eerie reminded that those beautiful fingers could transform into a fatal blade. "It might help me understand you better."

Maka stumbled back, suddenly aware that perhaps pretending their conversation had never happened while he was such an emotional wreckage had not been one of her more brighter ideas.

"I'm waiting."

"I...I just..." Maka's back pressed uncomfortably against a bookshelf. She fidgeted with the cuff of her shirt, unsure of how to handle this sudden tilt in power. She felt her partner loom over her, far taller than he had been a year ago, and broader than she remembered.

The contrast in dominance was stark.

Maka almost wanted to throw a fit at how unwell she was handling his smoldering gaze and mockingly slow tap of his fingers against the spines of the books by her ear.

"_Well_...?"

"I—it was just your reaction." She lamely began. "It bugged me. So I thought about it for a while and came to a conclusion."

Soul's fingers paused in their rhythm before starting up again. "And your conclusion was...?"

"You..." Maka breathed in, moistening her lips. This was too soon; she wasn't ready for admitting anything. But she soldiered on. "You were jealous. For some reason." She quickly added, as his fingers stopped their beat. "I thought about that, too."

"And?"

"...And what?"

"What'd you come up _with?_" He asked through his teeth.

"...I still haven't come up with anything yet." She meekly said. She played with the hem of her skirt. "You—you came by while I was getting there." It was true – he had swung by as she had been putting together the puzzle pieces to his unsightly and befuddling behavior earlier that day. Of course, she _had _come to a conclusion, however unrefined it had been, but a conclusion nonetheless.

He stared at her, as she fumbled, and traced the sprinkle of rosy pink that warmed her face. He took half a step closer, aware that one more would close the space between them. Perhaps he might be able to compensate for all those years he teased her after all. "Do you want me to tell you and save you the effort?"

Maka froze. "You... would do that?"

"Sure." He replied, indifferently. "Just ask the right question and I'll give you the right answer."

Maka was good at riddles, hence she was able to understand that if she phrased her question wrong, she would get an undesired answer. She wasn't sure how she would say it at first, knowing that if she asked _do you like me?_ he would reply with _yes _because, duh, he _had _to like her since they've lived together for the past few years and they were practically each others best friends!

So she asked, somewhat suspicious: "Do you see me as potentially becoming your girlfriend any time soon?" She stared at his chest as she asked this, missing the haughty smirk that stretched his face like a grin. He knew she wouldn't miss the challenge hidden in his words.

"Potentially?" Soul chuckled, a deep rumble that permeated through the miserable space between them. "You can become my girlfriend _right now_ and relieve all doubt, if you want." He purred.

Maka stilled in quiet panic. She didn't know what to do now; confession time had come far too quickly for her tastes. Her wide eyes stared at his chest, mouth forming around unsaid words. She swallowed thickly. She wasn't sure how to handle this – should she be jumping for joy or should she be backing away slowly? Becoming something other than a meister to him would drastically alter their relationship; taking it to places from which it could never return from.

"That... doesn't really answer my question." She said, voice scratchy.

"Yeah, I do. Does that answer it?"

"...Yes."

He stayed silent, awaiting her reply. His fingers had long since stopped drumming against the spines of books, the space between them painful. His arrogance was temporarily washed away, subdued, as he watched her think. After the first minute of silence, his stomach plunged to the floor and he lost hope that she would reciprocate his feelings...then she leaned forward and rested her forehead against his chest.

The single action, quiet acceptance, made him close his eyes and breathe out in relief. His hand slid down from the shelf and grabbed her arm while his other rose to lay on her shoulder. He slumped forward and rested his cheek on her head, as the silence of the library seeped through them. That had probably been the hardest thing he had ever been through, as uncool as that sounded.

"... What about that book you wanted?"

"I left my wallet at home so I can't buy it myself."

"Yeah, I'll buy it for you."

Maka smiled knowingly and straightened a little as her arms reached around her partner. His own regained life and wove around her waist, a far more intimate location than the other times he'd embrace her around her shoulders. The change was welcomed.

Her other hand slipped silently behind her, plucking a book from the shelf and, before Soul noticed, she stepped back and slammed the spine of the book into his skull.

Reeling from the sudden attack, he barely had a chance to utter her name before she growled: "You're _still_ not off the hook for yelling at me! And I'm not paying you back after you buy me that book – now, come on! Before the store closes – I'll finish the first book by midnight today and I want the second one for tomorrow!"

"Did you _have _to hit me so hard?" Soul grunted, staggering after her. She scoffed, slowing so he could catch up. "One day, you'll give me brain damage."

"One day, that'll make you smarter."

"Ha ha." Soul sarcastically said. "When you'd become a comedian?"

"Around the same time you became a jerk." Maka quipped and this time Soul cracked a real grin. She flushed a rosy pink when he tugged on a pigtail, dragging her under his arm fondly as they walked. Her arm clutched his waist and she decided she liked this change.

"Not bad." He drawled. "Black Star been giving you lessons?"

Maka snorted. "Black Star isn't funny! His stupidity is, though."

"That's a type of comedy in itself, Maka." Soul sagely said. "Not many people have it."

"Thank god..." Maka mumbled, Soul chuckling beside her. Her eyes caught sparkling blue and she was surprise to find Derek chugging down a can of soda, surrounded by a crowd of people. They appeared to be his friends by the way they laughed with him about something or the other. What snagged her attention was the fact that Liz and Patty were also there... "Hey, Soul?"

"What?"

"Is that Liz and Patty?"

"Yeah... and is that the jerk who kept hitting on you?"

"Derek?"

"Lame name." Soul snorted. Maka stared. "Yeah, him. What about him?"

"Why... is Liz talking to him?" Maka eyed her friend, whose smile could be deemed coquettish and sly. Liz had said she thought he was cute but Maka didn't think she'd actually go for him.

"'Cause she's a couger and she likes younger guys?" Soul suggested, grinning at Maka's exasperated look.

"That so wasn't funny."

"What? C'mon! It was! Liz is, what, twenty two and that guys like sixteen? Tell me that isn't sick!"

"Soul, just stop. You're not being funny."

"Cracking _one _good joke doesn't make you the god of all jokes, Maka." Soul deadpanned, as they reached Maka's favourite bookstore. "It just tells me you're improving."

"Improving from _wha_t?" Maka asked sharply.

"Being a dork." Soul pinched her cheek and she squeaked when he planted a kiss on her forehead. "Now you're a cute dork with a sense of humor. You'll thank me later."

"MAKA CHOP!"

"MISS!" Soul cackled, running into the store and disappearing between the shelves while Maka growled curses under her breath; intent on finding him and delivering his well-earned chop on the head with her book.

* * *

**A/N: **I've got nothin' on this. I just wrote it one day a long time ago. Actually, I finished this after I uploaded it into my Document Manager on FFN. So, forgive the lame ending. And Liz isn't a cougar; not really XD

But she does work _fast, _you gotta' admit.

_Scarlett._


End file.
